You know those ingenious tools created to be multi-purpose, thus save you effort, time, as well as money? Well, the angle grinders and stationary devices have something in common: the cutting discs. It’s these specific ingenious tools that have sparked my interest, particularly their widespread use, and you’re about to find important things there are to know about them by reading further through this post.
Their widespread use comes from their specific design, created to come in handy with cutting, and grinding a variety of materials, from wood, stone, and concrete, to the different types of metal alloys (e.g. aluminium, stainless steel, steel) among others, as well as with polishing. You can count on cutting discs being the tools that make for a valuable purchase because they were invented to allow for greater mobility, and ease of use when it comes to cutting or grinding materials, along with saving up your time and effort.
You might as well say the round, thin, flat panels, the so-called cutting discs act as scissors, and you’d be right, but there’s a slight difference between the two: the reduction of length after the use of the discs. This happens in the case of cutting materials, for instance, and it’s bound to cause frictions (high points of temperatures) that can in turn cause changes in colour, or structure, which is avoidable if you cut carefully, with a thinner disc; thinner discs also make for a quicker, more accurate work, and less sparkling.
Though in the past the thickness of the discs varied from 3 to 12mm, it was soon obvious the 3mm one provided much more convenience with the cutting, grinding, and polishing, which when combined with the latest technology resulted in discs with decreased thickness, with sizes of 2.5, 1.9, 1.5, 1, and 0.8mm. You could still find the 3mm one as its considered the classic which apart from being superior on terms of longer lifespan, and lower prices, it loses to thinner discs in cutting control, cutting speed, effort, material heating, wear off, sparks, and smell.
Since they are the tools suitable for different cutting materials, you shouldn’t be surprised at the variety of disc types, from the grinding discs, and the cut off discs, both suitable for metal and stone, to diamond discs for marble, granite, mortar, slate, abrasives, and asphalt – these are just some of the many notable cutting discs.
Taking this into account, prior to doing the purchase, make sure you do your homework, and find the most adequate type for the materials you have to cut, polish, or grind. This also goes for checking whether the tools were manufactured according to the safety requirements, and wear some protective equipment.